Books

As he prepares for the 2012 Havana Charrette taking place later this month, Havana architect and urbanist Julio César Pérez paused to talk with Cuban Art News about the making of Inside Havana (Taschen, 2011), the recently published, Havana-only version of his 2005 book Inside Cuba, now out of print. Here, Pérez recalls his role in the book’s creation, how it came about, what he himself would have done differently, and why it remains such a vital testament to Cuban architectural history.

For architect and urban planner Julio César Pérez, Havana is both a treasury of architectural history and a vibrant reflection of contemporary life on the island. With Inside Havana—a Havana-only version of Inside Cuba (2005), now out of print—Pérez and his collaborators balance the city’s grand mansions and public buildings with glimpses of more modest domestic spaces, intimate and personal.

With its glamorous depiction of Havana’s beautiful and well-connected “creative class,” Michael Dweck’s Habana Libre (Damiani editore, 2011) puts an unexpected spin on life in the Cuban capital—one that would be right at home in the pages of Vogue or perhaps a Fellini movie. As he prepared a show of photos from Habana Libre—which opens tonight at Staley-Wise Gallery in New York’s Soho district—Cuban Art News caught up with the artist for a lively conversation on Cuba, farándulas, and the making of Habana Libre.

Rachel Weiss is a professor of arts administration and policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who has been traveling to Cuba, and writing about Cuban art, since 1986. Her book, To and From Utopia in the New Cuban Art, was published earlier this year by the University of Minnesota Press. Cuban Art News recently spoke with Weiss about the book, and about contemporary Cuban art in general.

Anthony García, winner of the 2017 CINTAS Prize in Architecture & Design, talks with Rosa Lowinger about tactical urbanism, cubanidad, and his CINTAS proposal, the Bungalow Project. Its goal: To help save the community and architectural fabric of Little Havana.